


Celestial Immortals

by HighlandRose



Category: Original Work
Genre: Claiming, F/M, Magic, Pack, Slow To Update, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, coven - Freeform, forced bond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-01-29 21:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21417289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighlandRose/pseuds/HighlandRose
Summary: When Benjamin and Adam rejoin their coven, it’s not by choice. Drawn into this realm of blood and corruption once more, the boys find themselves willing to break the very code they live by to aid those not of their kind. The price and the danger are high; are the prizes worth the risk?ON HOLD: For how long, I’m not sure. It’s been very hard to come up with the inspiration and desire to write more of this.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 4





	1. Greetings

The halls of the compound were darkened as usual, lit only by an occasional dim bulb. Why had he come back after all these months? He’d had four months of peace before the nagging feeling brought him back to the dungeon that was his childhood home. As he walked along the concrete floor, the sounds of agonized moans and terror filled screams rang out all around him. The scent of blood, heavy and thick in the air, was an assault on his senses.

He heard a person approaching from behind, but didn’t turn to greet them, and soon enough, there was a figure standing next to him.

“Hello Adam.” The figure turned to him and nodded solemnly, eyes wide at the horrible sounds that surrounded them.

“Hey Ben.” Adam let out in a choked whisper while they continued down the corridor. Ben took in Adam’s appearance, noticing the changes since the last time he’d seen him; the circles under his eyes were much more pronounced, there was a looseness to his clothes showing he’d lost weight, and his whole body seemed to droop as though he carried a significant weight on his shoulders.

“How are you doing Adam?” Though they were only two years apart in age, Ben had often looked on Adam as a young boy rather than the twenty-year-old he was.

A door opening just down the hall drew their attention. A coven member stumbled out, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

“This one won’t last much longer boys, so you’d better drink up before it’s dry.” The door was carelessly left open; inside they saw a young man lying limp on the floor, blood slowly oozing from a wound on his neck. She’d been right; he wouldn’t last much longer.

“This is so wrong.” Adam fumed as he averted his gaze from the room and the pain he saw inside. Ben of course agreed with him whole heartedly: Life among the coven was cold and bloody, which is why they had gotten away when they had. Unfortunately, something always called them back; perhaps their lonely souls were being called to by their own kind, perhaps it was the promise of fresh blood. All around them, poor souls filled the rooms, screaming and crying as the coven members fed from them and used them until they died terrified and alone. Ben and Adam had sworn long ago to never partake in this cruelty.

“Are you still living off animal blood?” After the first time they’d set foot in the dungeon, both boys agreed to never drink from human’s as long as they lived, and with one exception on Adam’s part, neither had.

“Yeah.” From the pale, drawn look of Adam’s face, Ben could tell his diet was killing him slowly. He didn’t have the willpower to attempt survival on animal’s blood like Adam, so as much as it disgusted him, Ben relied on his connection with the local blood bank to fulfill his needs. If they kept up like this, Adam might literally drink himself into an early grave.

“Are you sure-.” With a quick glare, Adam silenced Ben. It wasn’t the first time they’d fought about the animal blood, but it meant too much to Adam to give in.

“Don’t even suggest it.” There was a small quiver in the words, telling Ben how serious he was. “I drank human blood once, and I killed a girl. I won’t ever do it again.” The memories flooded back like it was only moments ago that he took her life; it was never far from his mind. Ben read the horror on his brother’s face, but there was nothing to say to sooth him; he’d been there too, had seen the body and dragged Adam away from the scene.

“Evening boys.” Feeling icy hands grip their shoulders caused them both to shudder. They didn’t dare move away from the grasp the Elder had on them.

“Evening Elder,” was their automatic response. Next to him, Ben could feel the rage rolling off Adam in thick, suffocating waves, and he fear filled him; if Ben could sense it, he knew that the Elder could as well.

“So much anger,” the ancient man laughed, “after such a long time.” He slithered around to stand before the two young men, both of them lowering their heads. Only fools looked an Elder in the eyes. “Someday you might learn to be a little grateful for the _gift _I gave you.” What had once been rage swiftly turned to blind fury.

“Of course Elder Alvilar.” With every ounce of power he could muster, Ben forced calm on Adam, hoping it would be enough to keep Adam from getting himself killed.

Elder Alvilar watched with no small sense of enjoyment. Young Adam’s determination to not partake in human blood was only a mild annoyance; these days the Elder merely sat back and awaited the inevitable end to this foolishness. Watching as Adam struggled against his brother’s calming effect, a cruel gleaming smile spread on Alvilar’s face. Oh yes, the boy would snap someday soon, and the carnage that he wrought would be magnificent.

“I do hope you’ll be staying for the auction this time. We have some slaves that are most certainly worth their price.”

Ben and Adam watched the Elder glide up the stairs, back the way they’d came, leaving them alone with the screams. As soon as Ben stopped projecting the calm, he dodged the fist that came straight for his face.

“Don’t you _ever_ try that again!” Adam’s shout echoed loudly against the stones, hanging between them heavily.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you has a death wish.” Silence followed uncomfortably, and a tightness set in Ben’s chest like a vice. Perhaps he didn’t know better. “You don’t want that Adam.” If the Elder killed him, it wouldn’t be a stake in the chest or a walk in the sun; if it was Alvilar who did him in, that bastard would bleed Adam dry and leave him as a comatose bag of bones for eternity, a fate much worse than death.

“You can’t understand what I want Ben.” Hell Adam didn’t even know what he wanted. Death? Absolution? Redemption? Each option rattled around in his head like broken pieces of himself he could quite grasp. He loved Ben, but Ben hadn’t ever killed anyone, let alone an innocent; he’d never feel the crushing weight of it like Adam had.

“You aren’t a monster Adam.” Bitter laughter died across Adam’s lips at the sound of a new scream piercing the compound. If their blood still ran warm, it would have stopped. Only part human, mostly animalistic, the sound was a sickening cross between a blood-curdling shriek and a howl of agony.

“You’re wrong,” Eyes wide, they stared at each other for a moment, “and apparently I’m not the only one here.” 


	2. Monsters of a Different Kind (Part One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a two part chapter. This first part is following Adam and what he finds deep in the dungeons of the compound.
> 
> For anyone reading this, please feel free to leave comments of what you liked or disliked about this story.
> 
> I hope you enjoy,
> 
> HighlandRose

The sound echoed again, loud and haunting. With the scent of blood around them, Ben and Adam were already on high alert, but they couldn’t ignore the sense of curiosity they felt. Human blood had given Ben the sharper senses of the two. It made sense that he took the lead down into the deepest parts of the compound.

“How could it be even creepier?” Without the minimal light that the first hallway had, the concrete halls seemed to stretch on forever without end. Ben felt his body shivering with anticipation, like a child exploring a haunted house expecting for something to jump out.

The further down they went, the fainter the sound of the screams above became; without them, they could begin to hear the faint sound of whimpers ahead. What sort of beast had the Elders trapped down there? Louder than ever, another howling scream pierced the air, nearly making them cover their ears. Ben could feel the pulsing of pain around him, settling as a knot in the pit of his stomach. It was sharp, cut with sickening fear, far more potent than what he’d felt upstairs. 

“That’s not normal, even for the likes of this place,” Ben hissed, as the pain beat him down. He was almost overcome by it, but he forced himself to go on and discover the source. If all the victims and their feelings upstairs hadn’t had this effect on him, what the hell was he about to find?

“Ben, we really shouldn’t be here.” In all his life, this was the furthest into the compound he’d ever been, and while he didn’t give a damn about the coven and their precious rules, he was feeling far too uneasy about this to ignore his gut. Looking to Ben, Adam noticed that his posture had changed; he was no longer walking with his easy gait into the unknown, but instead, hunched in on his stomach, holding his head as he shuffled down the hall.

Some vampires had gifts, little things that made them unique and gave those advantages over humans and fellow vampires alike. Poor Ben had been ‘gifted’ the ability to feel, and in some cases, manipulate the emotions of those around him, which was far beyond Adam’s own comprehension. The emotions must be fairly strong for Ben to react like that.

As he was about to ask Ben what he felt, an overpowering scent hit him hard, knocking the breath from his body. Sweetness filled his nose, unlike anything he’d ever smelt before. His eyes rolled back in his head with the sheer pleasure of it. Soon though, the beast within began to stir; The predator, long laid to rest, roared to life.

Adam could feel the heat welling up in his stomach, his heart pounding wildly against his ribs; there was prey before him that called to his inner hunter, and the hunter wanted blood.

Now with greater purpose, both men walked faster in their trance, near desperate to find what they sought.

A final howl lead them right to a metal door, lonely and menacing at the end of the tunnels. Behind the door lay the answers to their curiosity.

“This is where they keep the slaves,” Ben whispered in fear and awe. Slaves were too precious of a commodity to be kept with the regular feeders upstairs, and they knew it. To venture past this barrier…it was expressly forbidden to all but the Elders.

When Ben would have turned back, the bloodlust in Adam’s mind refused to let him back down.

The iron of the door hatch felt cold against his palms as he cranked away, forgetting more and more of the rules with every turn. _Such sweet blood…_ The monster inside growled with pleasure when the door finally opened to them.

That sweetness which tormented him earlier was now a full on assault of his senses, bringing back the memories of his first kill. How exquisite had it been to sink his fangs into a pulsing artery, to feel the hot, rich blood flooding into him; he’d never felt more alive. Need drove him forward, made him oblivious to the danger of what he was doing, until he came face to face with what taunted his inner demon.

Behind the bars that had caged many dangerous and volatile creatures of the night was a young woman, heaped on the ground like a doll thrown by an irate toddler. The odd angle of her neck, while probably painful, gave Adam a perfect view of her pulsing throat. _Thump, thump. Thump, thump. _Such a deliciously steady rhythm, but just maybe, a tad sluggish. From her throat, his eyes ventured to her face, mostly hidden by her coal-black hair, but he felt unsatisfied with how much he could see.

Adam reached through the bars, shaking with undeniable hunger, and pulled her hair out of the way. Innocent. It cut through the heavy fog in his mind, letting him see her truly. Whoever she was, she was innocent of any sin that warranted what was to become of her. The slow beat of her heart, her heavy sleep, someone had drugged this girl… she would be none the wiser when she was sold off to the highest bidder. Rich sweetness rolled off her, broadcasting to him why she was taken; she would be a rare treat for whoever had the money. The very thought of her fate sickened Adam, allowing him enough control to rein back the predator.

Why had she affected him so damn much? God, if she hadn’t been behind bars when he found her, he might have drained her dry.

“Damn it!” Anger rose through him, pushing the rest of his animal instincts back to the farthest reaches of his mind. One whiff of her was all it took to turn him into a raging monster again. Adam slammed his fist into the bars over and over again, venting out his righteous rage.

With each pound of his fist, the whole cage shook. The occupant lying within stirred just a bit, catching Adam’s eye with the gentle twitch of her shoulder. She was fighting through her drugged haze with everything she had in her, but all she could manage was to force her eyes open. Adam’s gaze locked onto her soft hazel eyes, blank and exhausted. He knew right away what he needed to do: Adam was going to break her out.


	3. Monsters of a Different Kind (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is part two of the previous one, this time following Ben's perspective, as well as a bit of their escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so very sorry for this update taking forever. I don't have a beta reader for this one, and it takes me a while to tweak the writing without feedback on what's going well and what isn't. I hope that now I'm out of the beginning, the creative juices will start flowing a bit more. 
> 
> Enjoy, 
> 
> HighlandRose

By the time Adam had finally gotten past the iron door, Ben had been too blinded by pain to worry what Adam was doing. With all his experience feeling people’s emotions, he had never felt anything as brutal as this. The pain was a raging fire, burning through every fiber of his being. He dropped to his knees as it overwhelmed him.

“Oh God,” he cried out, clenching his teeth against the feeling. What was causing this? Ben dragged himself into the room, crawling weakly across the cold floor. Since his eyes were squeezed tight against the pain, the only thing Ben could manage to do was follow the emotion to its source.

“Help…please…” A woman’s voice croaked out, sounding exhausted and broken. Through the narrow crack he’d managed to open his eyelids, Ben could see Adam kneeling by one cage, but that wasn’t where the feeling was coming from. Across from there, against the far wall, was another cage that held what he was looking for.

Ben watched in horror as the woman arched off the floor of her cage, twisting and writhing in obvious agony. Her panting mouth opened wide, and Ben tried to cover his ears from what came next… The new scream echoed though the small room, reverberating through the metal cages, thrumming hard behind his ribs. He had to stop her pain, had to end this torture.

“I’m here.” Ben called weakly, forcing himself onto his hands and knees to crawl faster. Help. This girl needed his help. That knowledge gave him the strength he needed to make his way to her.

At first, he noticed her scent. Before, he’d been too distracted by her pain to register the heavy musk she was emitting, and upon closer inspection, he saw that she most definitely wasn’t human. The arm she reached out to him with was bent at the wrong angles, the bones gnarled into her emerging form, and thin patches of strawberry blonde fur covered it. Whoever she was, she was a werewolf; not only that, but a newly transitioning one. Ben knew instantly why she’d been taken by the coven: She was a rare prize indeed.

“Please,” she sobbed out to him, tears spilling down her ashy cheeks. Struggling, she dragged herself closer to him, reaching as far as she could past the cage. One look into her terrified green eyes brought Ben to her side, grasping her outstretched hand. Knowing her fate, should he just kill her now and save her from all she would endure? Around his hand, her fingers tightened like a vice, as her back bowed again. Ben felt her pain as if it were his own, coursing through his body; he didn’t think he could bear to hear her screams again. He closed his eyes, shutting out the world around him, and laid his other hand on her arm. _Take it away…take the pain away…_ Under his hands, he could feel the harsh pulsing of his calm as it tried to infuse into her. Unlike with Adam earlier, her pain was so immense, it was pushing him away.

“I’m not giving up,” the hiss came through clenched teeth, and he gripped her harder, fighting against her pain with every bit of power he possessed. _Please work._ Slowly, the tendrils of pain began to fade back under his onslaught, giving him just enough working room to push harder. He’d never worked so hard to impart feeling into another, and it was so taxing, but he pressed on.

Just as she opened her mouth to scream again, Ben pushed, holding nothing back, and he could feel all his efforts finally power their way through her pain. The force of it was so great, he was knocked back from the cage, and he lay there panting, desperately trying to catch his breath. At last, the werewolf lay quietly, seemingly put to sleep. With the pain gone, Ben could feel the anger so familiar to him after all these years radiating towards him. . Even though he heard pounding in his head, he sat up and looked to Adam who was slamming his fist into the cage her sat before; apparently it wasn’t his head pounding…

“Adam?” What was he trying to do? It was all Ben could do to sit by and watch as Adam tried to pull the bars apart. “Adam, what are you doing?” Adam wrestled with the bars a moment more before facing him.

“Out.” His chest heaved from his efforts, but he turned back to try again. “I’ve got to get her out.” Ben reached out, feeling more of Adam’s emotions. Behind the anger was the bitterness of desperation, the heaviness of depression, and the barest hint of sweet curiosity. This cage held another woman, not a wolf like the one Ben had found, but something possibly even rarer.

“If we do this Adam, there’s no going back.” To steal something so valuable from one’s own coven…it had never been heard of. If they were caught with the slaves, they would be tortured and drained for certain. But as Ben watched Adam gently stroking the other girl’s face, he thought, just maybe, they could pull this off.

“I don’t care what happens. Just help me free her.” It was a death wish, but Adam looked determined, and Ben couldn’t bring himself to let these women be sold and used.

“Move.” Ordering Adam away, Ben took his place pulling at the bars. The locks had probably been imbued with magic, but if he could force the bars wide enough, they could slid her out. Human blood had made Ben much stronger than Adam, and soon enough, the bars began to yield. The space grew steadily under his force until he gauged it wide enough to get ahold of the woman and slip her out. Laced in with the cloying scent of the human and the musk of the werewolf, Ben could smell hints of predator, which could only mean Adam…

“Do _not_ attack her Adam.” His voice was harsh, in an attempt to push Adam’s instincts back. “Don’t become the monster you think you are.” Those words struck deep, and the sharpness on Adam’s face faded, leaving a harrowing clarity in its wake. Sure of his ability to remain calm, Adam began gingerly pulling the human out.

Now Ben moved back to the other cage, giving it the same treatment, rushing to get to her before his calming energy wore off. It made him work harder, to see this werewolf’s pale green eyes watch him, pleading with their intensity. He would get her out, no matter the cost.

“What are you doing Ben?” With the human in his arms, Adam was ready to leave.

“I’m taking this one with me.” Ben couldn’t help but marvel at how light and willowy her form was; not like that of ordinary werewolves. As best he could figure, she was in her late teens or early twenties, which was exceedingly rare for a newly transitioning wolf. Could she even survive it? The bones in her arms and legs, delicate as a bird’s, were already mangled and broken to prepare her for the transformation into a wolf, but with the full moon still days away, there could be untold complications. Either way, Ben couldn’t leave her behind.

As soon as they had the women in their arms, they slid out of the room, using the darkness to their advantage. It wouldn’t be exceedingly difficult to sneak past blood drunk vampires, but they’d need a plan once they got out. There weren’t many places in the town where people wouldn’t notice a transitioning werewolf screaming and howling and a human who smelled like a candy shop.

Coming to the mouth of the hall, Ben and Adam paused, checking for coven members. In Ben’s arms, the wolf began whimpering again, so Ben was trying to hush her with calm again. His lips pressed to the crown of her head, offering what little comfort he could.

Once she was sedate again, they made a run for it, not stopping until they were deep into the woods.

“What the hell do we do now Ben?” Reeking with worry, Adam set the human against a tree and began to pace like a caged animal. “Our scent is all over the place. There’s no way we can get away with this.” His panic was justified, but Ben managed to stay calm, cool, and collected, thinking from every angle.

“I’m calling her.” Only one person could give them a fighting chance. That had stopped Adam in his tracks.

“We can’t put her in danger too. The elders aren’t exactly picky about who they kill, and if they hurt her, it could start a war.” All very good points, but they were out of options.

“There’s no other way.” His hand shook a little as he pulled up her number, and hit send. In normal fashion, she answered after one ring.

“What do you want Benjamin? It’s two in the morning.” Please let this work…

“Seophia…I need you to track Adam and me to the forest near the compound and bring a spell to eliminate our scent, the strongest sleeping potion you have, and an extra change of clothes for both of us.” There was a deafening silence on the other end of the phone. “In the next forty-five minutes.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much time for something so short, I know, but hopefully now that I've established the characters a bit, the chapters will get a bit longer. 
> 
> As always, if you liked it, please leave me a comment or kudos. Everyone likes encouragement :)
> 
> Love, 
> 
> HighlandRose


	4. When a Plan Comes Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The deed is done, so what happens now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finally achieved a longer chapter! I do keep track of how long each chapter is in comparison to the previous ones, so I was pleased as punch to see that this one was 972 words longer. I'm taking this as a good omen that from now on, the chapters will continue to grow.

They waited in the cold and the dark, keenly listening for traces of anything non animal lurking in the forest. Only the sound of an occasional chirp and the wind rustling the leaves could be heard.

Adam had expected the human’s drugged state to wear off quickly, but whatever she’d been given when she was kidnapped was obviously quite strong. He sat at a distance, watching her fade in and out of consciousness. Unlike Ben, who was holding his new charge in his arms, Adam was more than content to leave her propped against a tree. Now that he had some distance between them, he was feeling anger stirring his insides again. What the hell was she, and why had she cut through all the barriers he had over his hunter side? He couldn’t tell if he was angrier with her or with himself at that point. Sixteen years spent forcing down that side of himself that he’d so despised and one sniff of her scent had destroyed all of his work.

“It’s alright. You’re going to be just fine.” Ben was crooning to the wolf who was writhing restlessly in his arms, and Adam couldn’t help but watch them. The only wolves he’d ever been this close to were feeders and slaves, all having made their transitions much earlier in their lives. This brutal scene was like no transformation he’d ever witnessed.

Her pain was evidently weighing hard on Ben, but he acted like it wasn’t, soothing her with his power and his voice. For a brief moment, Adam envied Ben’s ability to help others, to get close to them.

Within twenty minutes, he could hear Seophia’s Jeep tearing through the thick layer of the forest floor. She pulled up with a hard brake and jumped out in nothing but her pajamas to see what was so important that they dragged her out of bed.

Ben released his hold on the wolf a bit, allowing Seophia to get a good look before he carried her to the Jeep.

“What have you two idiots done?” Her obvious anger at them did not come through her hands as she examined the werewolf with as gentle of a touch as she could manage. The poor thing was little more than a heap of broken bones. “Try to lay her out on the back seat, and don’t move her around too much; you don’t want to nick an artery with any bone shards.” Ben followed the instructions, being delicate as if she were made of glass. Once they’d gotten her away from here, he could find a way to get her to a pack. Other wolves would likely know better how to help her. Once he’d given her the sleeping potion, he watched her face to see her drift off before changing his clothes.

Adam reluctantly went back to the human, wishing to God she would miraculously be able to walk herself to the Jeep, but she was still far under the influence, so he picked her up. The softness of her skin pressing against him made him alert, not as a hunter, but as a man. In his quest to avoid people, he’d also managed to avoid any romantic entanglements. If Adam hadn’t caught himself fantasizing about women a few times over the years, he would have thought he was asexual. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he ached for the touch of someone who loved him: Not like a father, mother, or brother, but a woman.

A groan rumbled from his throat, and he walked faster to get the girl into the vehicle and away from himself. If he never had to deal with her again, it would be too soon. After practically tossing her into the passenger seat, he went around the back to change his clothes, removing the traces of her. There was a moment where he almost felt a sadness to be rid of her, but he quickly shook that feeling away; the last thing he needed in his life was a walking, talking temptation.

“What’s the deal with this one?” Seophia asked as she buckled her in. Adam shrugged, tossing his clothes into the back with Ben’s.

“Don’t know Seo. She was with the wolf in the slave cages. Has a really strong scent too, so that may be it.” At this point he didn’t care to think of it too much. Whatever reason the coven had her wasn’t any of his business.

“What should I do with them?” Adam looked to Ben for the answer to that; he had no clue what to do.

“Just take them back to my place for now. We’ll figure out the details later.” With the cargo safely loaded up, Seophia wished them luck and handed them the spell. It was just a rolled up paper and a lighter…

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Adam asked in confusion. Surely there had to be more than that?

“Just go where you want its affect and burn the paper. It will work in seconds.” With that, she turned the Jeep around and sped off, leaving Adam and Ben in her wake.

“This could actually work.” Ben rushed back to the compound, back down to the depths where they’d found the girls and held out his hand for the spell. Adam was grateful to pass it off, and stood back to watch Ben light it. Both of them freaked out a bit when thick plumes of smoke billowed out from the small fire. The smoke was suffocating and smelled vaguely of dust, filling up the whole room and rolled out into the hallway. They’d been in the hall too…

Ben walked back out, taking the smoking paper with him until he was back out of the compound. It was best to cover all their bases. As the scroll reached its end, Ben set it on the ground so that he didn’t burn himself. The instant it burned out, the smoke was sucked back into the building and disappeared in a flash.

“Well that was…interesting.” Adam sniffed at the air, surprised to smell…nothing. Not a single scent was in the air. Finding the same thing, Ben walked back in, deeply inhaling all the way, dreading the thought that he might actually smell something. Luckily he didn’t smell a damned thing. Could they really pull this off?

“Boys, the auction starts in five minutes.” Elder Coldwell admonished them, the firm set of her mouth relaying her displeasure. Never having been to one, they followed her to the auction hall that was already standing room only. Vampires came from all around to have a chance at buying one of the rare specimens that this coven was particularly good at finding; little did they know what surprise awaited them.

While Adam was sweating bullets over the possibility of being caught, Ben was being suffocated by the emotions pouring off these people. Most obvious was the excitement crackling like electricity all around him dampened only by the acidic sting or territoriality from the coven members who made the compound their home. What brought a nauseous feeling to the pit of his stomach was the rich, honeyed aroma of animal lust. Some of these vampires weren’t just blood-thirsty monsters, but monsters of a much worse kind. Just the thought of one of these people getting their hands on that wolf was enough to bring vomit to the back of his throat.

_Don’t think of it_. With a power himself, Ben knew there was a possibility of a mind-reader there that night, so it was best that he not tempt fate. A quick jab to the ribs brought Adam out of his brooding. When he glared at Ben, Ben only tapped his own temple as a silent reminder, which was thankfully enough of a hint for Adam.

The two of them tried to relax, which was easier in theory due to the tensions running high in the room. Had it always been this way during an auction? Ichabod had never expressly forbidden them from going to the coven on auction nights, but he had relayed his distaste for the primitive events, so when the boys were old enough to go out on their own, they too had avoided them. It was disgusting how excited these people were at the thought of buying an innocent person and using them in unspeakable ways.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if we may have your attention.” Elder Alvilar called out from the stage. As the head of the coven, he was responsible for leading the evening’s festivities, which he did with relish. “As many of you know, in this coven we employ hunters who are versed in the retrieval of… unique individuals. We seek out these exotic delights for coven members to enjoy, for the right price. Without further ado, let us begin.” He gestured to the curtain behind him, and it began to slowly raise. “Our first exhibit is a werewolf. A beautiful creature, twenty-one years of age, going through her first transition.” At that announcement, the excitement and lust increased monumentally, feeling as loud to Ben as the shouting around him. “The second exhibit is a young-.” Alvilar’s words were cut short by the sound of gasps echoing through the crowd. He turned to see what had caught their attention, and a cool wrath came over him. Ben could feel it from where he was and tried to ignore his own panic. There on the stage sat two completely empty cages, bars spread apart exactly as they’d left them.

“What is the meaning of this?” An irate man cried out, followed by several more shouts of outrage. Anger and confusion pulsed through the room, the voices growing louder and louder until Elder Alvilar finally turned and held his hand out over the crowd.

“This auction is over.” The deathly calm in his voice struck fear into all who heard him. “Rest assured, we will get to the bottom of this, and those responsible will be held fully accountable. If anyone has anything they wish to confess, now would be the time.” His citrine eyes, cold as stone, searched the crowd for any signs of guilt, ready to strike like the snake he was. After waiting for several moments unanswered, he motioned for them to lower the curtain.

“Very well then. We will be conducting an inquiry into the matter, so be prepared to be questioned on your way out.” Ben breathed a small sigh of relief, heading towards the exit with Adam in tow. Now all they had to do was slip away without drawing attention.

“Can you believe that?” Vampires all around them were asking the same question. In all the centuries of auctions, nothing like this had ever happened, or at least no one had lived to talk about it. Some people stayed behind to feed, but a majority poured out into the cold night air. What should have been a straight shot to their cars was blocked by a wall of elders waiting to question anyone attempting to leave.

“Next.” Ben grabbed ahold of Adam and dragged him over to one of the newly inducted Elders. _Just play it cool and we’re home free_. “When did you arrive at the compound?” She asked, as cold and methodical as the rest of the Elders.

“We got here about 1:45. Elder Alvilar had a talk with us shortly after we arrived.” The mention of Alvilar’s name brought a flicker of fear across her pale features. The young Elder cleared her throat and regained her composure.

“And what were you doing in the time leading up to the auction?” Adam watched curiously as she sniffed the air, trying but failing to be discrete. Obviously they’d been instructed to scent the members for traces of the wolf and the other slave. The fact that she would scent nothing on them gave him a bit more confidence.

“We were looking at some of the feeders.” The lie rolled off Ben’s tongue easily, even as his stomach roiled at the thought of feeding on one of those poor people. “Elder Coldwell found us in the feeder hall about five minutes before the auction and escorted us in. We’ve never been to one of these things, so we just followed her lead.” Name dropping two of the highest ranked Elders in the coven seemed to intimidate their interrogator enough that she let them pass. Now they just needed to get to their cars.

“Just a moment boys.” Elder Alvilar appeared behind them so suddenly that they jumped. He ran his eyes over Ben quickly before resting them on Adam. Adam could only pray that his hatred for Alvilar over shadowed his fear of being caught. 

“What do you want? I’ve got a long drive home.” His words sounded much surer than he felt, but that was a good thing considering the circumstances. Ben couldn’t help but be proud of Adam’s brave front, and with all luck, it would get them out of here all the faster.

“Ah, such fire. This will be quick.” The slow rasp of his voice reminded them both of a snake hissing before it devoured its prey. “It’s a shame your first auction was ruined.”

“Yeah it is. We were curious to see how it all worked.” Ben’s phone began to ring in his pocket, but he chose to ignore it. If it was Seophia, he couldn’t risk Alvilar hearing her.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?”

“It’s probably Ichabod wondering when we are coming home.” Ben shrugged his shoulders for emphasis, playing the part of the annoyed child well. He made no move to retrieve his phone though; no chance he was risking it.

“How is our dear estranged Ichabod?” Damn it, he shouldn’t have brought him up. Even after almost a century had passed, Alvilar still held a grudge against the Elder who had managed to leave the coven behind.

“Just as grouchy as ever I’d say.” Adam interjected, huffing angrily. “Can we wrap this up? I’d like to get home.” He knew full well that he was being disrespectful of the Elder, something that was frowned upon, but instead of receiving the censure he expected, Alvilar just chuckled like he found it all quite humorous.

“Very well, you are free to leave.” Like the old fashioned vampire he was, he bowed his head to them. “If you happen to hear any information about our missing _guests_, do come and inform us.” In true fashion, Adam strode off without another word, but Ben lingered a moment.

“If I hear or see anything, I’ll let you know.” Cooperation was the best way to assuage suspicion Ben figured, so why not let them think he’d be an informant,

“It’s been a pleasure as always young Benjamin.” The Elder left him to see how the rest of the interrogations were going, so Ben felt it was safe to finally leave. In his car he pulled out his phone, and sure enough, Seophia had called him. He clicked on the voicemail, and was immediately greeted with the sound of screaming.

“Benjamin Rowan!” Seo yelled above the wolf’s racket. “We have a situation here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear up some confusion that might arise, Seophia is pronounced Say-o-fia, and her nick name Seo is pronounced Say-o. Also Ichabod will come into play later, so don't worry that I randomly brought up a character. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and if you enjoyed it, please leave me a kudos or a comment telling me what you liked or didn't like.
> 
> Love, 
> 
> HighlandRose


	5. A Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The only way Ben can save his little wolf is to get help from the pack. If he can survive long enough to get there.

Panic ripped through him, but he willed himself to stay calm. What sort of help could he possibly be if he was freaking out too?

“What’s happening?” He could hear the wolf wolf’s piercing shrieks of agony in the background drilling into his eardrum, but he couldn’t understand why she was awake.

“I’m still driving home, and she just started screaming again!” Man was it loud. Ben had been in the room with that screaming before, and felt awful that Seophia now had to witness it up close and personal. “How much of the sleeping potion did you give her?” With it being the strongest stuff Seo had, he had been worried about hurting the wolf by giving her too much.

“I gave her about half the vial.” Damn it, he should have asked how much to give her. He could hear the sound of tires screeching to a halt, some scuffling noises, and Seophia’s soft and frustrated grunts. After a few tense moments, the screams quieted to small whimpers. Seo’s sigh of relief had a smile flirting with the corners of Ben’s mouth.

“What you gave her should have kept her knocked out for a few hours.” She said distractedly as she took a moment to check over the other woman who was oddly still unconscious through all that. “I gave her the rest, but who knows how long that’ll keep her out. I don’t think I can get her into the house by myself if she’s screaming the place down.” Ben smacked the heel of his hand against the steering wheel; he should have thought of that sooner, but he hadn’t had too much time to think about it when everything was going to hell.

“Meet me at marker 53 and I’ll get her from you.” There was only one way to help her and it didn’t involve a sleep-deprived witch or a shitty excuse for a vampire; a pack.

“Ben, I know what you’re thinking, and it’s too dangerous to go there alone.” A vampire waltzing into werewolf territory was a walking target, but he didn’t know how to take care of her, he couldn’t possibly anticipate what she needed.

“It’s not like I have another choice.” He was willing to risk his safety if it meant that the little wolf had a greater chance of making it through her transition. He’d heard that most werewolves made their first transition as children when their bodies were still malleable and the memories of the pain could fade away with time as they grew up; even then, some didn’t survive it. From the little Ben knew of it, the older the wolf, the harder their transition was, which is what made late transitioning wolves so rare. “I’ll meet you there.” Hanging up, Ben zoned out, sinking deep into thought while he drove.

Years back, when he was a young teen, he’d had a run in with the head Alpha of the local pack. He had been caught unaware on pack lands riding his mountain bike through some long forgotten trails. A couple of pack members had captured him and taken him to the Alpha for judgement. God he’d been terrified of what would happen to him; Ichabod had warned him to be careful of where he was riding, but he’d lost track of how far he’d gone, too caught up in the thrill of being alone in the night.

The Alpha wasn’t a beast like the coven made him out to be: He was an intimidatingly tall man for certain, and broad with muscles, but his face had been kind. After hearing Ben out, the man had been merciful and let him go with a warning to never enter werewolf territory again. If the alpha remained the same after all these years, maybe he stood a chance of delivering the girl without being attacked or worse. It wasn’t likely that they’d allow for a second violation of immortal law, but he had to try.

The rest of his drive passed in complete silence, pondering how in the world he would make this work without either of them getting harmed. Unfortunately, he reached the meeting spot before he could think of a decent solution.

“Would you listen to me if I told you you’re out of your mind? There was no real heat in her faintly British accent, only a touch of fear. Witches knew better than most what happened when the immortals chose not to follow their laws; she knew the danger Ben was putting himself in. Seo also knew how stubborn he was. The way he handled the wolf, gently, almost affectionately gave her cause to wonder; could there be something else going on? “You’ve got a soft spot for her, do you?” Ben’s head popped up over the head rest and he gave her a half scowl.

“It’s nothing personal Seo. I just felt her pain, and I couldn’t let her go through what they had planned for her.” He wrestled with her limp body, trying to get all of her willowy limbs tucked up in his hold so she was easier to manage, but it was still an uphill battel to get her from the back seat of the Jeep in to the front seat of his car.

“You really should lay her in the back seat.” Yes, he probably should, but Ben made no move to do so. “Is there something you know that I don’t?” Which of them had spent three years in a commune with witches, vampires, and werewolves? Certainly not the bone-head who wasn’t listening to the voice of reason. She wasn’t an expert, but she knew more about werewolf transitions than he did.

“I need to be able to touch her.” To satisfy her, Ben pulled the lever to lower the front seat into a flat position. As carefully as he could, Ben arranged her body comfortably and closed her door. He caught Seophia’s smirk, like a child who’d caught on to a juicy secret, and groaned in frustration. “Not like that you weirdo. When she was screaming at the compound I was able to keep her calm with my power.” Odd that she would remain calm with his touch, but that the sleeping potion was so ineffective. He’d never been able to have a stronger effect than Seo’s magic, so this was unprecedented, but if it worked, it worked.

“I hope you know what you’re doing Ben.” Before he could go, she gave him a hard hug, hoping that maybe she’d give him a bit of luck.

“I don’t, but I’ve still got to try.” Giving her a final squeeze and a kiss on the head, Ben got back in his car. The drive ahead of him was daunting, but it had to be done. With one last glance in the rearview mirror, he could see Seophia waving goodbye to him, and he took off.

In the passenger seat, the wolf was mostly silent aside from the occasional pant or whine, so he took the chance to study her. Her hair was quite long, down to her waist at least, tangled around her in a strawberry blonde mess. Initially he’d thought it might not be her real hair color, but he looked at her scalp and saw no signs of hair dye. The pinkish color of her hair really brought out the paleness of her skin, the kind that sunburned even in the shade. He imagined her on the beach somewhere, struggling to stay out of the sun to protect herself from roasting and he chuckled a little. Maybe she wasn’t an outdoors kind of girl though, maybe she liked to curl up inside with a good book or watch TV. Ben remembered from his brief glimpse earlier that she had light green eyes which reminded him of new blades of grass in the spring, and he kind of wanted to see them again.

He’d grown up hearing about werewolves but he’d never gotten this close to one who was transitioning. The coven members had been harsh in their description of the wolves, calling them disgusting animals and mindless beasts, a belief held by most of the vampire community. It was only when he’d asked Ichabod about them that he got a better picture. Ichabod let it be known that he was no expert, but he told Ben everything he knew about werewolves, their transitions, and their pack structure. In the end, Ben felt pity that these beings were forced to turn against their will, often painfully so, but he envied them as well. Covens were such a cold and harsh place to grow up around; the oldest among the members were rigid in their belief that the ancient was of life was the right way, so they cared little for the lives of anyone who could be prey. They were true monsters of the night, and he wanted nothing to do with them.

A pack sounded like a dream to a young boy with no family. He couldn’t even imagine a place full of families who worked together, who cared about each other’s wellbeing. Places like that would never exist for vampires. 

Ben looked over the rest of her body, her brokenness. In the short time since he’d rescued her from the compound, the patches of fur on her body had expanded, slowly covering every inch of her weak body. Being the same shade as her hair, Ben wondered what she would look like as a full wolf; it wasn’t like there were strawberry blonde wolves on the discovery channel. Did they all have fur the color of their hair? When had he gotten so curious about the wolves? Or was it just her?

Seophia’s words echoed back to him: _You’ve got a soft spot for her, do you?_ Looking back at her, Ben knew he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel a pull towards her that was unlike anything he’d experienced before. Sure he’d been drawn to people when they were hurting; that was his nature, but she called to him on another level. That didn’t matter now though, all that mattered was getting her safe. Then she’d be out of his life, and out of reach under the protection of the pack.

The trees grew familiar the further he drove, ghosts from all those years ago. He recalled his promise to the alpha and said a little prayer that all would be well, even with his broken word.

When the forest grew uncomfortably thick to drive through, Ben stopped the car and got out, ready to make the rest of the way on foot.

“Come here little one.” He drew her up into his arms, settling her weight comfortably and beginning the long hike to the pack lands. She stirred very little on the way, but on the times she did, he wished that he knew her name to ease her. All he could do was whisper softly to her, telling her she would be alright, calling her by any of the pet names he could remember, just to have something to call her.

Making his way through the looming trees and raised tree roots, Ben kept himself busy by imagining what her name might be. She had a delicate femininity which made him want to give her a whimsical name like Allegra or Evangeline, but she also had a subtle dignity about her; maybe Margaret or Eleanor.

“Hurts.” The weak whisper eked out of her sleeping body, making pity pull at Ben’s heart. She’d been through so much already, and he was loathe to say the worst of it was yet to come. He prayed he wouldn’t be with her if her condition went south; if she died with him, it would absolutely tear him apart. No one would be able to help her like he could though. In her last moments, no one would be able to calm her like he could, to ease her suffering. This was one of the times he cursed his power for its hold over him; most people would do what they could and leave well enough alone, but not him. When he could feel her pain destroying her, knowing he could take a good part of it away, how could he _not_ help her? That would be like owning a well in the desert and denying thirsty travelers a cool drink of water. Only a monster would do something like that, and Ben had spent too much of his life trying to prove he wasn’t one.

“Almost there,” he mumbled in her hair, trying to emit more calm than he was feeling himself. In the distance, he could feel the growing aggression through the trees. They knew he was here.

Ben pressed onward, hopelessly optimistic that this would work out in his favor. It had to. For him as well as the little wolf. From the darkness, wolves came out to surround him, locking him within their circle. Waves of apprehension and anger rolled off them, giving the air a dense quality like that of heavy smoke. Teeth bared, they slowly closed the circle around him until they were nearly shoulder to shoulder, just waiting for an excuse to attack.

Only one among them behaved differently, and that was the deep auburn wolf trained on his back. This one pulsed with curiosity, and concern, so Ben focused on it. Its eyes looked uneasy, but wholly intrigued by the girl in Ben’s arms. This was definitely his best bet to bargain with.

“I need to speak with your alpha. For her.” In a power play, Ben pulled back the influence he had on her, and she started to weep, working her way to a scream. It was a dick move, but maybe if they saw one of their own suffering they would allow him to see the alpha. The wolf he’d spoken to looked at the others and woofed softly, like it was speaking. They watched it, and Ben could feel their reluctance growing before they reluctantly lowered their heads. With a deep bow of its head, the red wolf turned and Ben swore it motioned with its head for him to follow. Still surrounded by the rest of the wolves, Ben remained still until he could feel their aggression ebb, allowing him to proceed without getting attacked.

The rest of the way to the heart of the pack lands was quiet aside from the little pants from the wolves, and the little groans from the girl. Surely the alpha would agree to take her in, and then everything would be alright for her. She’d make it if she were with her own kind, or at least that’s what he so desperately wanted to believe.

Finally, the buildings began to take form ahead of him, quiet in the early hours of the morning. The wolves finally drew to a stop in front of one of the houses, and the red wolf howled to alert whoever was inside of their presence. Little had changed in the small wolf town since Ben was last there; a few more buildings had been added, and some had been painted within recent years, but it still had the same feeling about it.

The door flew open and hit the wall with a bang, startling those who were waiting. Ben’s eyes grew wide as he saw the man who filled out the door way. This man had to have been at least six and a half feet tall, thick, intimidating musculature, and a look that would have sent most people running. Fear was rolling off the pack around him, and Ben began to wonder if he too should be afraid. Obviously the alpha, the giant was pleased with the way the pack was cowering under his sharp gaze, until he saw Ben.

“You know the rules Simeon!” Dear God, the man had a voice that could shake mountains. His roar was directed toward the wolf who’d led him here, and it cowered onto the ground. “All vampires who dare trespass onto pack lands are to be killed on site!” Panic shot up Ben’s spine as the alpha descended upon him, obviously intending to make good on the rules. All he could think about was protecting the girl, so he turned away, presenting his back so that he could shield her from any attack. He was sick anticipating the assault that was sure to come.

“No!” A small voice cut through the tension. There was a sound of shuffling feet, and grunts of a struggle. Chancing a look behind him, Ben saw a tiny woman holding onto the alpha’s arm, frantically trying to stop him from killing Ben. It wasn’t much of a fight due to the size difference, and the alpha easily pulled her off, holding her beside him with a vice grip on her arm.

“Let her go!” Call him old-fashioned, but if there was one thing Ben couldn’t stand, it was a woman in distress. The slip of a woman was straining against the bruising grip, unable to budge the massive hand that held her, and the scene positively reeked of anxiety. The same red wolf from before, Simeon, was edging closer to the alpha, teeth shining in the moonlight in a snarl. Finally, the alpha halted, seething with rage.

“What the hell are you doing on my land?” At the demand, Ben wanted to square up with the alpha, but he couldn’t let his temper destroy this lady’s chances of survival. His only goal was to see her safely taken care of, and that’s all that mattered. He turned around slowly, showing his armful of broken werewolf to the alpha.

“I found her with the coven, about to be sold as a slave.” His mind flashed back to the cage, the tin room she’d been kept in. Nausea rolled his stomach at the memory of her shrieking screams echoing off the walls. “I stole her, and I brought her here because I don’t know how to take care of her.” It was dangerous to admit that he’d stolen her, but if he wasn’t completely honest, he didn’t have a hope of convincing them to take her. She needed their experience and their expertise if she was going to make it.

“What do you want me to do about it?” Arguing with this guy was like trying to talk to a wall. Weren’t alphas supposed to help fellow werewolves?

“She needs help. I’m not exactly the expert on werewolf transformations, but I know that she’s not normal, that this could kill her.” Her body squirmed in discomfort, stretching as best as she could with how messed up her body was. Did he have to get down on his knees and beg them to help her?

“The full moon is two nights away. There won’t be anyone here who could be bothered to take care of her.” With a final look of contempt, the alpha turned back to the house, dragging the helpless woman behind him. The fragile hold Ben had on his anger finally snapped, and he rushed after them.

“You’re her kind! You’re supposed to help each other.” Ben felt like a child throwing a tantrum, but holy hell, he was desperate for their help, and this asshole didn’t seem to want to give it. Indignation spiked the air from the direction of the alpha, but Ben was too steamed up to care.

“If she lives, you can bring her back,” the alpha sneered. The door slammed again, separating Ben from his one chance. How the hell was he supposed to do this without them? He’d have to figure it out, because he was now the only one standing between her and a possible death. Heavy hearted, Ben gave Simeon a nod of solidarity, heading back to his car. Maybe Seophia would know something about how to take care of her…

“Hey, wait!” It was a young man who was calling after him, but Ben wasn’t particularly in a listening mood. “Wait please!” From the shuffling footsteps behind him, Ben could tell that the guy was chasing after him, so he stopped. The young man who came running up next to him was a wrapped in a towel, his rich auburn hair sticking up wildly.

“Simeon, I presume?” With a nod, Simeon ventured a bit closer, staring at the girl.

“I’ve never seen someone turn so late.” That confirmed Ben’s theory that this wasn’t a normal happening. “Do you know where she was taken from?” Ben shook his head, wishing that he knew much more than he did.

“Not a damn clue. When I found her, she was already in a holding cage ready for auction.” Had he been a few moments later, her would have been sold to whoever offered the most for her. She would have been lost to the ages, likely never to be seen again.

“You’re either very brave or very stupid to do something like that.” Simeon might have been the one to say it first, but he certainly wasn’t the first to think it. It was already abundantly clear that Ben had made a huge mistake, not by saving her of course, but by bringing her here.

“Thanks for that.” He didn’t intend to stick around for anyone else to point out the obvious, so he started walking again.

“I’m sorry,” came Simeon’s soft apology. “Give her lots of pain medicine and water. She’s probably dehydrated and starving, so try to get as many nutrients in her as you possibly can.” He walked back up to Ben, laying a gentle hand on her face. Ben wanted to swat his hand away, but both his hands were busy. “Her facial bones are still intact, so she’s going to have hell the next couple of days. When she’s fully turned, she won’t know what’s going on, so she’ll act like a scared dog. Don’t let her bite you, and don’t hurt her if she gets a little wild.” Her hair slipped through Simeon’s fingers, seeming to entrance him with their color. “When you bring her back, we will help answer what questions she’ll probably have.” The advice was genuinely given, and Ben had started to wonder why Simeon had given it to him when the alpha wouldn’t.

“Thank you.” It was a small offering, but Ben was indeed grateful for any help he could get.

“Good luck.” _Yeah_, Ben thought as he headed back to his car finally, _I’ll need it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait. I finally have my beta reader on this project, and she's been a wonderful taskmaster, cracking the whip until I finally turned out another chapter.


	6. Plan B

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the pack denies Ben the help he desperately needs, he has to come up with a plan B

“What am I supposed to do with her?” Adam was sitting cross-armed, glaring at the girl asleep on the sofa. Seophia had hauled her inside by herself somehow, and had laid her out on couch, waiting for the boys to get home. Sleep deprived and not in the mood to deal with him, Seo shot daggers at Adam.

“I’ve done my part Adam, I got them away from the coven. She’s your job now.” Interfering with coven matters was something she’d tried to avoid for a majority of her life, but she’d gone and done it for her brothers. It wasn’t her responsibility anymore though, and she’d be damned if she’d feel guilty about that.

“I don’t even know what she is Seo. How am I supposed to know what to do?” It’s not like he’d ever dealt with anyone like her, and just being around her was enough to set his teeth on edge. Even in her sleep, this girl was driving him insane with the sweetness that poured off of her. He’d sat as far away as the living room allowed, and it still wasn’t far enough.

“First off, she’s a woman, not an alien. Secondly, if you’re so concerned take her to Ichabod. And thirdly, I’m not nocturnal like you; I’m dead tired so I’m going back to bed.” Her hard tone brooked no refusal. It was about time that Adam learned how to clean up a mess he’d made, so Seophia headed back to her room. On her way down the hall, she heard the front door open and the starch went out of her; Ben was home safe. She wanted to keep walking, told herself to and almost did, but ultimately turned back to the living room with a groan.

From the noises, it sounded like Ben was fighting to get through the door. Why was he grunting so much? _Oh shit_. There was only one reason, and Seo hoped she was wrong.

“I thought you were going to take her to the pack.” Leaning up against the wall, Seophia had a lovely view of Ben struggling to get his armload of limp werewolf into the house. He was being extremely careful not to bump her head, and if the situation weren’t so dire, she would have laughed at how he tried to keep his hold on her arms and legs. Ben looked pretty perturbed, shutting the door behind him, so they waited for him to settle down.

“That was the plan, but they wouldn’t take her,” He growled, the subject still raw in his mind. The couch was otherwise occupied, and it didn’t seem right to put her on the floor, so he put his back against the wall and slid down to sit with her cradled in his arms. Her head kept lolling back over his arm making Ben wince, so he opened his arm around her a touch more and tucked it into his shoulder to save her later pain.

“What do you mean they wouldn’t take her?” Adam and Seo chimed over each other. Their twin looks of disbelief wore on his ragged nerves; like he hadn’t spent the whole car ride back wondering the same thing? He was so damn angry that it was leaching out of him into the wolf, disturbing her already fragile state. It was her whimpers that made him force his emotions down, to let the calm flow again. He wished she was awake so that he could tell her he wasn’t angry with her, but at the situation itself.

“The alpha was a complete jackass. Told me no one could be bothered to take care of her since the full moon is so close, but if she lives through this, I can bring her back.” _If_ she lived. Nothing was going right in this whole situation, and Ben was quickly losing hope that she’d pull through. There were so many questions that he needed answered about her, like how she made it to twenty-one without transforming. Who was she? Did she have people waiting for her? How did the coven find her?

“I thought the packs took care of their own,” Adam huffed, glancing at the couch wondering where he could drop _her_. Not even awake and she was annoying the crap out of him. It wasn’t even fair to her that he was so angry with her, probably wasn’t her fault that she smelled so damned good, but that didn’t make the feelings magically disappear; he was like an addict, trying to get clean, only to have his drug of choice waved in front of his face. God had a sick sense of humor, and Adam didn’t appreciate it in the least. 

“That was my thought too, but I don’t think this guy plays by the rules. The pack seems to be afraid of him, and he was manhandling his mate pretty badly right in front of me.” If the threat of death hadn’t been hanging over his head, and they hadn’t been on pack lands, Ben would have confronted the alpha, even if he was much bigger. He hadn’t been raised to sit by and let things like that happen, but his hands were tied whether he liked it or not. For now, all he could do was take care of this wolf as well as he could and pray it was enough.

“It’s hard to believe that the pack would allow that.” From the werewolves that Seo had been around, she knew that they tended to be over-protective of their own species, even if they weren’t friends or family. Any alpha worth his salt would have challenged a tyrant like that to stop any further abuse of power.

“He’s huge. Imagine the tallest alpha you’ve seen and add about nine inches height. When I was brought to him I thought he’d take me apart with his bare hands.” Ben remembered the way the alpha had rushed at him, full of rage and aggression, and he shuddered; if he were a betting man, Ben would have bet that in his compromised position, the alpha could have killed him in seconds. With the girl in his arms, Ben wouldn’t have fought back, and would have probably died trying to protect her.

“And you want to leave her with these people?” As much as Adam wanted to ditch his girl, he knew he’d have a hell of time leaving her in a situation like that. He might be a killer, but he wouldn’t stand for abuse.

“They’re her kind Adam. She’s probably going to be scared and confused when she wakes up, and they can give her the answers she needs.” After her transition, she was going to wake up in a strange place with strange people; scared would be a natural response. She nuzzled closer to him, burying her nose against his throat where his pulse thrummed wildly. Maybe he was deprived of affection a little too long, he thought as he rested his cheek on the top of her strawberry blonde head. Even with the little furry patches spreading over her, Ben couldn’t deny that she was a beautiful woman, but it felt wrong to notice such things when she was going through this hell.

“So you’re just going to babysit her for the next two days?” Adam asked incredulously, like he couldn’t believe Ben would take on that responsibility. To Ben there was no question about it; he’d accepted responsibility for her the moment he pulled her out of the cage at the compound. Now he was honor bound to take care of her as long as she needed it.

“Looks like it.” There was nothing more to it. Taking a deep breath, Ben hauled himself up off the floor, exhaustion settling in his bones. A last look at Adam and Seo told him they thought he was absolutely insane, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

The hallway was cramped, obviously not wide enough to fit normally, so he had to settle for scooching to his room sideways, taking awkward little side steps until he’d finally come to the door, which he was endlessly thankful he’d left open earlier. The bedroom was dark and Ben got the eerie feeling like he was stepping back in time. Only hours had passed since he was last there, but in that time life had changed completely. If the Elders didn’t kill him for this, he had a feeling Ichabod and Maudeline just might. He laid her down on the bed, his bed, that no one else had ever been in, and Ben could swear his palms went sweaty at the thought.

“Oh Benny, do you know what you’ve gotten yourself into?” Seo stood in his doorway, her face showing all the worry he could feel coming off of her. Did he really know what he’d gotten into?

“No, Seo, I don’t.” Brushing the errant hair from the girl’s face, he knew full well that he’d likely bitten off way more than he could chew. He knew nothing about werewolves and how to take care of them, and was actually scared to death that he’d do something wrong. “I can’t explain what happened, why I couldn’t leave her there, but that’s the thing; I _couldn’t_ leave her there.” Something in his whole body had revolted against the very thought of leaving her behind, of leaving her to her fate. In the moment he’d seen her eyes and the pain in them, he knew he would get her out of there one way or another. 

“What makes her so special that you’d risk your life for her?” Her concern was turning into anger, but Ben’s experience allowed him to feel the deep undercurrent of fear behind it. It pulled him in until he bolted to her, drawing her into a reassuring hug. It felt oddly comforting in a way to know that she was scared for him, that she cared enough to fear what would happen to him. It also helped drive home the point that he and Adam had committed a crime against the coven; one punishable by death.

“I don’t know. I wish I could put it in words why I _had_ to save her. Why this one made such an impact on me.” Seo looked up at him with her weary whiskey eyes, broadcasting just how deep her concern ran. She wanted him to give up the wolf, to play it safe and not get involved with whatever the coven had planned, but he couldn’t. Not even his love for her and their family could stop him from seeing this through to whatever the outcome would be.

“You could be killed over this Ben.” The grave tone of her voice cut him deeply, her fear wrapping like hands around his throat. In his twenty-two years, Ben had always played it safe, had done whatever it took to stay out of the gaze of the coven while having some sort of life for himself. He would have stayed just like that, had planned on it until tonight.

“I know that Seo, but she’s so different.” Raking a hand through his hair, he knelt next to the bed, watching the wolf’s sleeping face. Yeah, she was so completely different from anything he’d ever experienced before, and for the first time, he’d acted on instinct rather than careful consideration. But why? “When I felt her pain, I felt it in me. With everyone else, I can feel what they feel, but I know it’s what _they_ are feeling. With her, it felt like it was my own pain. Every broken bone, every ounce of terror; it felt like it was my own.” Never before had he been brought to his knees from someone else’s pain, been so consumed by their feelings that he’d abandoned reason to save them; until her.

“That sounds…serious. Maybe you should take her to Ichabod and Maude.” So many things had been taken from her in her short life; Seo didn’t want to lose the boys over this. “They might know why you have this…_bond_ with her. And maybe why Adam’s struggling to keep his teeth away from the other girl.” Ben perked up a little, the resentment from Seophia stabbing him like a pinprick.

“It’s not their fault Seo. They didn’t ask to be kidnapped, and they don’t deserve to be sold into slavery.” When it was said like that, she felt guilty for her thoughts, but damn it, this was her _family_, and they were in danger. “I know how you feel,” he offered, but was met with a scowl. “Not because of my power, but because I feel the same way. I’d be an idiot if I didn’t recognize how dangerous this is, not just for me but for you guys too.” When he’d had the chance to finally think straight, his first thoughts had been of his family, how all this might affect them, but he needed to do this; he _needed_ to help her. 

“Will you take her to them? I don’t want you alone in this.” Big sister always to the rescue. He would have liked nothing more than to have their parents help him, to have their support in this, but he just couldn’t.

“I’m going to have to take her back to the pack in two days. I don’t want to involve them when she’ll be gone so soon.” _Too soon_. In two days she’d be gone, and there was no reason for her to contact him again. The strange bond between them was undeniable, but he’d never learn anything about it with her out of his life. He drew closer to the bed, dragging his knees on the soft carpet to rest his chin on the edge, close enough to see the micro-details of her face. Each peak and valley, each freckle and fine line that made her unique was being dedicated to memory. Here she lay before him so still and silent, yet he was already feeling her loss.

“I’ve never seen you two like this.” Adam and Ben were practically bewitched by these two mystery women. It made sense that Adam would be completely captivated by a girl, seeing as he’d never really been around any, but Ben had. Ben had gone to the local college, had seen numerous women, but was never taken with any of them. The way he looked at the wolf, with so much tender concern, was enough to melt her heart.

“I’ve never felt like this,” he mused sadly. “Could I beg one more favor of you?” Did her brothers not value sleep as much as she did? Seeing Ben knelt on the carpet, eyes gone soft with emotional exhaustion, Seo gave a ragged sigh.

“What more do you want?” Sharp as her tone was, she knew she would have done anything Ben had asked of her, after all, she did owe him a great deal.

“Could you change her into some of my clothes? I think she’d feel more comfortable with a woman doing that.” Ben felt awful for asking her to do another thing for him, but he wanted to treat the wolf well while she was in his care. He didn’t think the wolf would be very happy to know that he’d undressed her while she was unconscious. There would be little he could do to maintain her dignity throughout the rest of her transformation, but he could do this for her.

“Of course Ben.” With a grateful sigh, Ben gathered up an oversize shirt as well as some sweats for Seo to use. “I’ll sponge her down too,” Seo offered. In the dim light, tiny beads of cold sweat shined across the wolf’s body from her low grade fever, so that would be for the best.

“I owe you Seo,” he gave her a feeble smile before kissing the wolf’s head. Her strawberry blonde head stirred a little, straining towards his touch, bringing a soft laugh from him. “I’ll be back,” Ben assured her, gently pressing her shoulder back to the bed with a little blast of tired, rather than calm. Calming was his specialty, seeing as so many emotions responded to it, so that’s what he’d used earlier in the compound; calm for her fear and her pain to keep her quiet, but now she needed to sleep, and to sleep deeply to rest her mind.

Joints stiff, Ben took a moment to haul himself up off the floor and leave the wolf in Seophia’s capable hands. After traipsing in the forest, he knew he’d probably need to grab a quick shower, but he should go check on Adam first. Practically since they’d met, Adam had tried so hard to suppress the hunter instinct that all vampires possessed, something which Adam believed made him a monster. The dark-haired girl had triggered that, and Ben knew Adam wasn’t taking it well; who would? Coming out of the hall, Ben stopped short noticing Adam was gone from his earlier spot in the corner, and he feared the worst. He was almost too afraid to lean a little further and see the couch. Visions of blood and carnage filled his mind, images of the girl cut open and bleeding out, making Ben’s stomach heave, but there was no scent of blood in the air, no traces of the hunter. With a deep swallow, he finally looked around the corner, and all the starch left his spine.

Adam was sitting cross-legged in front of the couch, watching the girl with almost feline curiosity. His blue hazel eyes were fixed on her face, pupils wide, displaying his unbridled interest in her sleeping figure. Reassured that Adam hadn’t snapped, Ben leaned against the same spot Seo had earlier and just watched. Being on the floor put Adam exactly eye level with her, and he sat close enough to study her. The black hair that fell across her forehead wasn’t exactly black now that he really looked at it. It was a dark brown, like strong coffee, and each strand shined like satin in the fluorescent light. From the looks of it, she wasn’t wearing any make up, but her eyelashes were still incredibly thick, laying like black fans across her delicate cheekbones. Her eyes, he recalled, were a pleasant hazel, earthy green with streaks of brown that reminded him of an evergreen forest. No sense in denying the fact that she was incredibly breathtaking, and she would have been perfect if it weren’t for the fact that every time she exhaled, she blew little puffs of intoxicating sweetness at him. Annoyance began to mount again, but that’s when he noticed a flash of movement out the corner of his eye. Ben…

“What is she Ben?” His eyes didn’t leave her face when he asked, so enraptured by her that he couldn’t force himself away. What sort of creature was she that she could have such a hold on him without even waking? Ben sidled over, sinking down into the easy chair to stretch his legs.

“I wish I knew. The only thing to do would be to take her to Ichabod and Maude. Between the two of them, they have a better chance of figuring it out.” Combined, those two had about four hundred years of experience; if anyone knew what the sweet-smelling girl was would be them. Adam finally broke his gaze on her, and turned to Ben. Even without his power to tell him just what Adam was feeling, Ben could see the question in his eyes, and he just shook his head.

“Please Ben?” His pleading eyes worked on Ben’s heart; this was his little brother, they’d been raised together for the last sixteen years, but this wasn’t something he could help with.

“I have to stay with the wolf Adam. She’ll need me for the next two days.” It killed him how Adam’s shoulders dropped, how dejected he looked, but Ben couldn’t leave Seo with the wolf when he was the only one who could keep her calm. “It’s not that long of a drive Adam, I know you can make it without issue.” Thankfully he sounded much surer than he felt. Adam had precious little experience with humans, with the way their blood could call out to vampires, so there was a chance that even the short drive would be too much temptation for Adam.

“Ben, I can’t trust myself around her.” All his self-confidence had gone down the drain the moment his inner hunter had made an unwanted appearance. He wanted so badly to be rid of her, but he didn’t want to get _rid_ of her; Adam already had one black mark against him, and he couldn’t handle having another. Seeing her innocent in sleep, Adam hated her as much as he was fascinated with her. The way her blood sang to him, he could almost hear it in his ears, he could feel its pull. No, she wasn’t safe around him.

“You have to Adam. The sooner you get her there, the sooner Ichabod and Maudeline can help you.” As much as he loved his brother, he had other important things to take care of. He pat Adam’s shoulder, passing an undetectable amount of courage to him whether he wanted it or not. “Everything will work out.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for bearing with me as I slowly get this story written out. If you have enjoyed it or would like to give me come constructive criticism, please leave me a comment or drop me an email at highlandrose1743@yahoo.com


	7. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam finally gets up the courage to go home, but things don’t exactly go as he planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry to whoever is reading this for the delay. I suffered a bad bought of writer’s block and then with the pandemic wrecking the world and my wedding plans...I’ve been pretty distracted. But here it is! Chapter seven!

The words tumbled around Adam’s head like loose marbles as he watched Ben grab water bottles, pain meds, and a bowl of cold water. So Ben really did plan on going through with it… Ben had always been that way, Adam admitted to himself. As children, it was always Ben who was watching out for him, keeping him level headed and out of trouble most days. There was something different about how he was caring for the wolf though; something more tender, that Adam couldn’t quite put it into words, and that had him wondering.

Ichabod had raised them to be more progressive than the coven, which wasn’t saying much since those vampires still believed that blood feasts were perfectly normal practice, but he felt that even Ichabod would raise a brow at how cozy Ben was getting with his little wolf.

“One thing Adam.” Sticking his head back around the corner, Ben caught Adam’s attention on his way back to his room. “Since I’m taking her back in a few days, don’t tell Ichabod and Maude about her. I’ll do it…after.” His eyes flashed briefly with regret and his smile was not quite full, but Ben was a trooper, quickly shaking away the traces of misery. Good old Ben: Nothing ever seemed quite as difficult with him around.

“Sure thing Ben. Good luck.” Ben looked dog tired walking back to his room, but he kept his shoulders squared, tall and proud and determined like a soldier marching off to a righteous war. Why couldn’t Adam be more like that? Strong? Sure? It seemed like all his life he’d been just too messed up in his head to be like that. Ben was the sun; shinning and warm, so helpful to those who needed him. Adam was Pluto; cold and distant, not even good enough to be a planet. Maybe it was time for him to shine a little.

So much as he hated it, Adam really had no choice but to take her with him. He was just going to have to suck it up and take her to his home, his sanctuary… Damn. The true vampire part of him wished that he’d just left her in the compound, that he hadn’t gone near her in the first place, but it couldn’t be taken back.

“Alright, let’s just get this over with.” Just like Ben said, the sooner he got her out of here, the sooner he could figure this whole thing out. Adam snaked one arm under her shoulders, and the other under her knees, groaning inwardly as his nose was forced close to her fragrant hair as he bent to haul her up. Those silken tresses smelled of something flowery, which mixed in with her sweetness and made him want to bury his nose there to simply breathe her in. He straightened up with a jerk, jostling her quite forcefully, but he needed to focus. If he wasn’t careful this petite brunette would be his undoing.

“Don’t worry so much Adam. You won’t hurt her.” Seophia was dead on her feet, but she couldn’t let Adam leave without saying goodbye; no matter how annoyed she got with him, he was still her little brother. His eyes were pools of haunted uncertainty, desperate for this burden to be taken from his hands.

“How are you so sure?” His siblings seemed to be much more confident in his abilities than he was. It was one thing for Seo to be foolishly optimistic, she hadn’t been there when his hunter had gotten the best of him, hadn’t witnessed that bloody scene, but Ben had. Ben had no such excuse, because he had been the one to pry Adam from that corpse, had seen him take the life of an innocent. Not a day had gone by that he hadn’t thought of that day, of the hunger and the hunter that turned a scared little boy into a killer.

Maybe someone else could leave the past behind them, but not Adam. No, he’d be haunted with what he’d done for the rest of his life, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. The moment he stopped feeling guilty for that day was the moment Adam truly turned into a monster.

“Adam, I know you. We’ve lived together for the better part of twelve years,” she said gently, like he was a child in need of comfort. There had never been a time where Seophia had genuinely feared him, even when she’d been told about his past; maybe it was her desire to step into the big sister roll, or that she could see how tormented Adam appeared to be, but Seo hadn’t been afraid. “You’ve never once attacked me, so I know you’ll be able to resist _her_.” A nod of her head brought Adam’s attention back to the woman in his arms, softly breathing against his chest. His normally cool skin was warmed by the heat of her body settling through his clothing, sweeping over him like a summer heatwave.

“She’s a bit different than you Seo.” While Adam and Ben could smell the difference, Seophia’s human nose couldn’t pick up on the notes of sweetness this woman was emitting. “No offense but it like comparing broccoli and chocolate.” It was the best analogy he could think of, since Seo deeply loved chocolate and had a vendetta against broccoli. Her eyes widened a hair, and a haze of caution crept up into them. She wasn’t expecting something like that, especially since Ben hadn’t mentioned anything about it, but then again, he’d been distracted with his own problems.

“If that’s the case, don’t waste a single minute taking her to the parents.” With a kiss on his cheek, Seo opened the door for him and followed him down to help with his car. This time she was relieved to see Adam was much more careful with the girl, setting her gently in the seat rather that tossing her like a sack of potatoes like he’d done in the Jeep. “Call me in the morning and tell me what they say, okay?” Instead of a reply, she got a mute nod as he worked to get the seatbelt buckled in. The girl’s hips were a full figured, and he’d sat her right on the damned thing; he was trying to be nice about moving her instead of coping a feel, but in the interest of getting the hell out of there, he had to settle for grasping her gently rounded, jean-clad hip to shift her in the seat enough to buckle the stupid belt.

Her heat slid up his arm, flaring up like hot flames. Every moment seemed to uncover some new surprise about this girl, and Adam just couldn’t make heads or tails of any of it. With her safely tucked into the passenger seat, he hopped in the driver’s seat and gave Seo a final wave before driving off.

The heater surged on. More for her than himself, since it was a bit cold in those early hours of the morning. Vampires, especially those who didn’t drink from humans, were colder to the touch than humans, so the weather never really bothered him. Ichabod had explained it to him once when he was young; vampires needed the life force from the living because they couldn’t create their own, and would die without it.

That was the reason Ben was much stronger, the fact that he drank human blood. He would be even stronger if he drank directly from humans, but as it stood, Ben was still stronger by far than Adam was on animal blood. With his choice of diet, Adam was slowly killing himself and he knew it, but the alternative was just too much of a risk for everyone involved.

Sneaking a glance at his carpool buddy, Adam imagined how it would be to taste warm blood again, to feel life coursing through his veins. Despite what Ben thought, he didn’t have a death wish. In fact, he hated feeling like a hollow shell of himself, but he feared what would happen if he drank human blood again. One drop might send him over the edge and into a murderous rampage. It was too dangerous. 

For the rest of his drive home, Adam kept his eyes and mind locked onto the road, frantically trying to keep his gaze and thoughts off of her. The heater was doing more than keeping the girl warm; the blasts of hot air streaming from the vents was continuously stirring up her scent, filling the whole interior of the little car. He was trying his best not to breathe much, but even the few shallow gulps of air he took in had his mouth watering like a broken faucet.

That scent was filling him up, soaking his senses, tormenting the hunter. White knuckling the steering wheel, he stepped on the gas, watching as the speedometer needle slowly crept up to the triple digits. This was his territory, and he knew that there wouldn’t be any cops on the road this time of night. He was so focused on his task he didn’t notice his passenger was beginning to rouse.

After being left in the cold metal cage for who knew how long, she was finally beginning to stretch her sore muscles. Little groans came from her because she ached so badly. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt so heavy. Pain seared her brain, making her wince; whatever she’d been drugged with, it was kicking her ass.

The little flutter of movement in the corner of his eye made Adam’s stomach sink down to his feet. Adrenaline spiked through his system viciously, prickling his skin, sending waves of nausea crashing in his stomach. If he wasn’t already pushing his car past the realm of safety on the winding road, he would have pressed the accelerator harder. What is she woke up and freaked out? After all, Adam had technically kidnapped her. Two kidnappings didn’t equal freedom, Adam snorted ironically despite the feeling that his heart was going to explode at any moment. How could he explain his actions to her without terrifying her with the fact that he was a vampire? Movies and TV shows were his only references for such things, and if this situation turned out like one of those…he cringed at the thought.

“Just a little further.” Most times his drive home was a leisurely time for him to sit back and muse about whatever came to mind. He’d gone straight from Driving Miss Daisy to The Fast and the Furious in a manner of hours. Could vampires go into cardiac arrest? If he didn’t get home in the next minute he had a bad feeling he’d find out the answer to that question. 

The trees gave way to the packed dirt drive leading up to the house, and Adam wanted to cry with relief. Just a little further. Chancing a look next to him, he was greeted by mystified hazel eyes. _Damn it, damn it, damn it._ He waited for a scream or yelling or anything, but she just laid there staring. The faint haze in her look told him she was still mostly drugged, but that didn’t stop him from panicking. With her hazel eye open and watching him, the pop of green brought her face to life, making her look so alive, reminding him acutely of their situation.

The wheels lost their grip when he hit the breaks in the drive, sending him drifting across the soft fallen leaves. With minor corrections, Adam finally brought the car to a full and sudden stop. For a moment, he rested his head on the steering wheel, panting and strung out with nerves. He’s made it. The relief was short lived when he saw Ichabod standing at the top of the steps, arms held behind him and his expression unreadable. He couldn’t think too much about that because Maudeline came flying out the front door towards the car.

As soon as she locked onto the girl with him, her hunter green eyes narrowed. Jumping from the car, Adam desperately tried to form the words of his defense, but Maude was quick to cut him off with the flash of her hand.

“We got the call to be on the lookout for two runaway slaves. Never in the coven’s existence has something like this happened.” She sighed deeply, shaking her head like she could un-see the girl in the car. “I was praying it was just a coincidence that two girls would go missing the same night you and your brother went back to the coven.” Over the years, her thick Louisiana accent had faded considerably, but it was serious moments like this that brought it out again full force. In the dim light, it was difficult to read her expression against her dark complexion, but Adam could picture it in his mind; her brows would be knit together over those deep green eyes, the corners of her mouth pulled down in disapproval.

“I’d like to tell you that it’s not what you think, but it is.” No denying it when the girl was obviously in his car. “I couldn’t leave her there.” Each and every time he’d reimagined the scenario in his head, there was never a time when he thought he could turn a blind eye and leave her.

“And you thought it wise to bring her to our home?” Ichabod chimed in, his voice low and devoid of emotion, waiting for Adam to respond. It was impossible to know what he thought about this when he was little more than a statue. Whether it was to prove a point or not Adam couldn’t say, but he stalked over to the passenger side with an impatient sigh and threw open the door, allowing her rich sweetness to fill the night air. It was Maudeline who reacted first, gasping and drawing a safe distance back, eyes gone wide with the heady smell. As always, Ichabod remained calm, waking closer to get a deep whiff of scent.

“My, my Adam. Don’t just stand there son, bring her into the parlor.” Adam had hoped that Ichabod would take things over so that he wouldn’t have to touch her again, but that didn’t look to be the case. With both his parents watching him, he tried to be gentle and professional, trying not to be affected by her, which was much easier said than done.

The double doors had been opened for him by the time he climbed the stone steps, making his path smooth all the way to the somewhat faded brocade sofa in the parlor when he was finally able to put her down, hopefully for the last time. With that thought in his mind, he set her down a little slower than he might have earlier. He let his hand linger a few seconds against her hair as he laid her head down on the soft cushions. For a moment, Adam almost reached forward to brush her cheek with his fingertips, but he didn’t dare with his parents watching. He stepped back, giving them room to examine this curiosity and giving him time to just breathe in his home. Ichabod simply let his eyes wander over her from where he stood against the wall; Adam could practically see the wheels in his head turning. Maude was on her knees, skimming her hands over the girl, using her crippled magic to find out what little she could about the girl.

“Who the hell drugged her?” The piercing tone in her voice made Adam wince. Whoever was responsible for this was now officially on Maude’s shit list, and he knew from experience that it was not a place anyone wanted to be. She whipped her head around, surprising both men with her fierce expression, but Adam felt like shrinking back. There was a question lingering on her face, one she didn’t want to voice.

“I didn’t do it.” Arms up in surrender, Adam pled his case. “I found her like that.” That she would even think it riled him up, but then again, his behavior this whole night was pretty suspicious. Wordlessly, Maude jumped up and raced towards the stairs, leaving Ichabod and Adam confused in her wake.

“This is not the sort of thing I expected from you.” Shame prickled the back of Adam’s neck hearing his father’s gentle voice speak the words he dreaded; for almost as long as he could remember, he’d worried about disappointing Ichabod, the man who he owed his life. “Under the circumstances though, I’m proud of you.” Adam jerked back with the shock of that unexpected sentiment. He didn’t allow himself to dwell on the overwhelming sense of relief that he felt; he had important questions he needed answered.

“Why does she smell like that?” There could have been a better way to ask, but Adam wasn’t exactly in the mood for mincing words. They turned away from her sleeping body, keeping their voices low because there was a possibility she was unaware of the dark reality of vampires.

“If I’m correct, she’s a Dhampir.” It was a term he’d heard so rarely that it took several minutes for Adam to recall what it even meant. Dhampir; a day walker. That made a lot of things click into place, like why the coven would want her in the first place.

“I could have told you that.” Both men had been so enraptured in their conversation that they failed to notice Maudeline had returned with a small vial, and that their ‘guest’ had woken up. Turning, they were greeted by a pair of very annoyed hazel eyes that flamed with a million questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be safe readers. Stay inside as much as possible and wash your hands.


	8. Almost Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys aren’t the only siblings with...situations.

The sun hadn’t even thought about coming out when Ben finally woke up for the day. The first hour or so of watching the wolf was relatively simple; calm her when she woke, wipe her face with a cool towel, make sure her temperature wasn’t too high, and try to get her to drink some chicken stock. Ben had taken the extra blankets from the linen closet and made a pallet next to his bed to stay close to her, but in her sleep she seemed to gravitate towards him. As the night wore on, he’d woken up several times to find her teetering at the edge of the bed like she was seeking him out even in unconsciousness. He had to settle for sleeping with one hand up on the bed where she could touch it and know he was there.

Every time she woke up it took Ben more and more power to make her fall back to sleep, and he had a feeling that eventually he wouldn’t be able to get her to stay asleep any longer. Poor thing tossed and turned fitfully, and Ben was pushing himself hard trying to keep her at least moderately comfortable. The clock read that it was six in the morning when she woke up for the final time, moaning loudly in her pain despite all of the meds he’d kept alternating through her system. Without waking Seo, Ben’s only hope had been the internet, and he’d found that alternating Tylenol and Motrin every few hours was the best way to keep her pain and fever at bay, but it seemed to burn off much faster in her system than it should. It wasn’t like he could just Google how long it took werewolves to burn off medication, and he didn’t have the number of anyone from the pack to verify his concern. He wanted to give her more, but at the risk of over dosing her, he stayed to the three hour rotation, heavily imbuing her with any relief his power could grant her.

He dragged himself up off the floor and made his way to the kitchen to find her something to eat. The last of the chicken stock had been used up, so he tried to think of alternatives. His feet dragged against the carpet a little on the way, but he took a fortifying breath; things were about to get worse before they got better, so he needed to buck up and get ready for it. A couple splashed of cold water to the face woke him up a bit, and as he dried off with a kitchen towel, Seo came running into the room looking like a deer in the headlights.

“Where’s the fire?” His comment earned him a glare as Seo pulled out a cold bagel from its package and continued her frantic search for her keys. A smile crept across his face, but he hid it behind his hand. “Hon, your shirt is on backwards…and inside out.” She looked down and saw the white tag of her shirt on her chest. A string of curses fell from her lips, and she pulled her shirt off right there in the kitchen. Ben just looked back to the cabinets, looking through them to find something suitable to feed a mostly unconscious werewolf. Nothing that needed chewing, something fairly nutritious. Cans of soup called to him, but they were all thick, chunky ones that weren’t what he was looking for. 

“There’s an open thing of bone broth in the fridge.” Seo called from her room where she was trying to dig up some socks. Of course all of this would have to happen on the day that she needed to be at the store early. Her keys were hiding somewhere in the house, she’d barely been able to dress herself, and her breakfast was going to be just plain pitiful. Walking past Ben’s room, she couldn’t help but stick her head in to check on her. The girl was about seventy percent covered in fur, but her form hadn’t begun to take its new shape yet; Ben was going to have his hands full today, and she was almost grateful that she was going to be work instead of staying home. 

She found her keys were under the front table where she’d apparently dropped them last night while bringing Adam’s girl in, and with them in hand, she ran to Ben gave his a big kiss on the cheek.

“Good luck Benny.” With that goodbye, Seophia raced out the door. At this rate Ilya would already be at the store nearly finished with washing the glass bottles, and she felt a pang of guilt; she was turning out to be a rather awful boss. Bagel firmly between her teeth, Seo threw her purse in the car and drove off like a mad woman. As much as she hated the taste of a dry, plain bagel, it was food so she ate it gratefully. What she wanted at the moment was coffee to wake herself up, but there wasn’t time to stop at a cafe. She day-dreamed of a French pressed coffee, lightly sweetened with cream. Just the thought of it made her mouth water, but she pushed the thoughts of her beloved drink to focus on the road.

Her apothecary shop was on the west side of town right on the edge of city limits where it was out of the way, just like she liked it. After her three years away, she’d returned and taken over the shop from the former owner. What better job for an exiled witch? Homeopathic remedies had gained popularity over the years, making it a fairly lucrative business, and with her use of magic, her remedies were nearly guaranteed to work. Her clients adored her, and it made her feel good to help them in any way she could. 

Just as she’d guessed, Ilya’s car was parked in his parking spot around back next to hers under the willow tree. That man was infuriatingly punctual sometimes, but he was reliable, and that’s all that mattered. She didn’t bother digging her shop key out of her purse since she knew he would have left it unlocked for her, and she found she was right as she walked straight in. The herbal smell that greeted her was soothing, reminding her that this was her world, the place where everything made sense to her. For the first time that morning she was able to stop and just breathe. She’d have to deal with Ben and his wolf situation when she got home, and possibly even Adam as well, but for now she was only responsible for her store. 

“So the boss finally decides to show up huh?” That voice made her go warm, and she looked behind the counter to see Ilya eyeing her with a smirk. “Either you did the walk of shame or you really wanted to get out of wash day.” His soft amber eyes traced up and down her petite body like he was checking to see if her clothing had changed.

“You’re a little too high and mighty for my liking this morning Ilya.” Stowing her bag under the register, she marched back to the storeroom to grab some items to restock, letting the echo of her footsteps speak to her displeasure. Slipping into herbalist-mode, Seophia looked through her notes from the day before. The mint was running low as well as feverfew, so she grabbed those and took them back to her mixing table to refill her supply. As she worked methodically, she could hear Ilya approach, but she refused to acknowledge him.

“Oh she’s feisty today.” Seo tried her best to block him out and focus on her task, but the smell of coffee finally got her curious enough to turn and face him. Ilya was leaning against the door frame, filling it with his large form, holding a piping cup of heaven. “Will this change your mind about me?” Oh how she needed that cup. Reaching for it, she expected him to play keep away with it, but he handed it to her without a fight. Like a junkie, she immediately retreated to take a gulp. Damn, he’d made her the perfect cup of coffee; not too hot and not too bitter, perfect for drinking in a hurry like she was in. A low moan of pleasure crept up from somewhere deep inside her, the sound of which had a smile playing across Ilya’s lips.

“I take it back. You’re a god among men.” A few more sips and she was feeling more or less functional. Now she could get back to work, and hopefully stay focused on it. From her station, she could hear Ilya back at the sink continuing the dreaded wash day without a single complaint. The room fell into silence aside from the occasional _tink_ of the glasses and the tap of her spoon on the storage containers.

“Late night?” His amiable face made her want to spill her guts to him, to vent out all her frustrations to someone who wasn’t her family. There was only so much she could tell him though. It went beyond caring for the safety of her brothers, past caring for the safety of the girls she’d helped liberate; he wasn’t a part of her world. Any immortal knew just how dangerous it was to keep a human around, and no one criticized her more than she herself. Ichabod had merely cautioned her to keep her magic safely hidden, which she’d managed to do somehow in the close quarters of the shop. It was Maude who gave her a woman to woman talk about her assistant shop keeper; Maudeline had told her there was little harm keeping him around as long as their relationship stayed professional.

That little warning floated about in her head as she really looked at him fully for the first time that day. His heather grey sweater stretched across his muscles in a way that should be illegal, showcasing his toned physique perfectly. The sleeves were rolled up while he did the washing, sitting snugly over the corded muscles of his forearms, making her pulse race. In the year that they’d know each other he’d let his hair grow out, keeping it long enough to touch the back of his shirt collar and to tuck the curling tendrils behind his ears. Silver, wire-rimmed glasses added a touch of sophistication to his handsome face, drawing attention to his deep brown eyes. Yeah, that warning was a difficult one to heed with a mortal like this to tempt her.

“More like early morning. I had trouble staying asleep.” Not a lie since her helping the boys out had kept her from going back to sleep for a nice long while. “Ugh, I feel like a zombie.” More sips of coffee helped with that, but what was coffee compared to a good night’s sleep? With the glassware all washed, Ilya turned back to her while he dried off, gently patting the towel over those muscles that Seo couldn’t help but admire. Concern was written all over his face, both touching her and annoying her at the same time.

“Is there something I can do?” What had she done in this life to deserve such a kind, handsome, and completely unattainable shop helper? Maybe it was just her luck; she’d suffered for most of her life, so what made this situation any different? Ilya wasn’t to blame for her misery though, and she was reasonable enough to see that; he didn’t know about her life or her struggle, he was just a nice guys helping her out in her shop. Reminding herself of that fact slowed her waspish tongue, and she gave him a tired smile.

“I’ll be fine Ilya, but thank you. I think once the customers start rolling in I’ll start waking up.” When she had something to do other than ogle her help she’d likely feel a lot better. Ilya set down the towel, and came to her, gently touching her shoulder. He was so much larger than she was, so his fingers covered the whole curve of her shoulder, and the tips grazed dangerously close to her breast. Seo’s pulse skipped a beat and she couldn’t help but look up to see him looking at her with a tender look.

“You know I worry about you kid.” His voice seeped into her like warm sunlight, filling her with a sweet sense of calm. “I’m always here if you need anything, even if it’s just to talk.” He gave her a little squeeze and released her to let his fingers run along the length of her arm to her hand. For a moment, Seo almost hoped that he would take her hand in his, but he finally just turned and left her to her work.

Alone at last, she wanted to steep in her confusion, but she needed to finish her prep for the day. This is what she knew how to do; what she was born to do. While she restocked the jars, she chanted under her breath to imbue the herbs with her magic, making sure to speak low enough that Ilya couldn’t hear her. There was a peace in this process, but it also brought up many memories from the past.

Back when she was a child, her mother had taught her all about horticulture, how to use her magic to aid the plant’s natural properties. Those days had been simple. Go to school, come home, work with her mother, repeat. Seo missed those days more than she’d admit even to herself. Over the years she’d lost track of how many times she wished she could return to that time, but her learned cynicism crushed that idea soundly. _You can’t go back in time_, her inner voice whispered. _You can’t take back what’s been done; what’s in your blood_. As much as she loathed it, it was the truth, and there was no point in agonizing over it.

“Ilya, did we get those crystals in yet?” Her voice squeaked a little when she asked, but maybe Ilya wouldn’t notice. It wasn’t her specialty, but several of her customers had asked for crystals for various purposes, so she’d searched around for a reliable vendor. Thankfully she’d managed to find exactly what she was after and her customers were anxiously awaiting the product.

“Yeah Seo, they were by the front door this morning. I put them in that empty spot on shelf C.” She needed to have them packed and ready by the time they opened, so she went to grab the box, but her step stool was nowhere to be seen. The sound of the back door shutting told her that Ilya had gone out, probably to get the rain water. She debated waiting for him, but after their little moment earlier, she needed some distance so she climbed up onto the counter like a child trying to grab a cookie jar. At 5’2”, it was a very real struggle for her to grab the box, but she was stubborn to the core, refusing to be bested by cardboard. Seo established a firm grasp on the box and tugged, but it didn’t budge.

It was a little on the heavy side, but not so much so that she couldn’t lift it. Pulling again, it insulted her by only moved a smidge. A growl rumbled in her chest, and in a fit of impatience, she jerked hard, ripping the box free from whatever it was stuck on, but she’d miscalculated how the weight of the box would shift her balance, and the world started to teeter. The scream she had forming in her throat didn’t even have a chance to escape her as she careened towards the front counter.

She seemed to have missed the counter, falling down to the floor. Seo expected to feel pain across her body, but she landed against something semi-soft, and she cracked her eyes open to see Ilya panting, holding her tight against his chest. How in the hell had he gotten back inside in time to catch her? His face was so close that she could feel his breath on her face, could smell the faint scent of coffee. Laid across him in the space between the counters, Seo felt the wild beat of his heart against her palms.

“Thank you Ilya.” Just saying the words didn’t seem like enough for what he’d done for her, but she was too shaken to say more. Pushing up slightly, Seo blushed furiously when she realized there wasn’t enough space to move off to his side; she’d need to straddle his hips in order to stand. While she was quick to try to get up, Ilya kept his arms around her and pulled her back down to him. “What-.”

“Just give me a minute.” Ilya whispered into her hair. All she could do was relax against him and try not to let the feeling of him go to her head, but he was over whelming her senses. He felt like a warm wall, strong and secure, and he smelt like a soft spring rain; she was drowning in the sensation of him, and that thought terrified her. Scrambling to get off of him, Seophia raced around the counter to where the box had fallen, leaving Ilya laying on the floor.

A rather unladylike string of cursed escaped under her breath as she knelt down unwrapping each and every one to ensure it hadn’t broken. She was incredibly thankful for all the ones she unwrapped that were unbroken, but that didn’t mean they all were, so she diligently opened them all. If she were lucky, she would be able to get them checked and wrapped again in the next half hour. With them all checked, she hefted the box up to take it back to the prep table. It was then that she realized that Ilya hadn’t gotten up yet, and she felt panic spread through her stomach.

“Ilya?” She set the box down on the counter and rushed back to him. Eyes closed, Ilya lay unmoving where she left him. Not good. Seo knelt by his head, touching his face gently. “Are you hurt?” There wasn’t any blood, so any injury was internal.

“I smacked my head when we went down.” Just speaking made him cringe against the pain exploding behind his eyes. Hearing that, Seo felt sick with guilt; he’d been hurt helping her.

“Just stay right there.” Seo ordered him, though he hadn’t planned on getting up any time soon. In front of her prep table, she closed her eyes, searching all her knowledge of her to mend him. She flew through each herb and its uses until she found what she needed and she grabbed the oils of each, taking them back to Ilya. As gently as she could, she lifted him head and settled it in her lap. “Open up.” Despite the closed eyes, she could see him scowling at her, but he obeyed and dutifully opened his mouth so that she could drop her concoction in. She only guessed at the ratios, but once she felt satisfied, she had him swallow and waited for it to take effect.

“What the hell did you give me?” It had to have tasted awful, but Seo couldn’t help that.

“A little of this, a little of that. Now just lay back and stop complaining.” And he did. While they waited, he didn’t say anything else, letting his head rest limply against her thighs. He might be a giant of a man, but in this position he seemed so vulnerable that she couldn’t help but stroke his hair. Running her fingers through his smooth hair, a melody came to her mind that her mother used to sing to her when she was hurt, so she began to hum it to him. Any tension that remained within him melted away under her touch. Humming the tune, she could almost hear words. Had her mother ever sung her the words to this tune? It was like the haze of a dream, weaving through her mind, the words were like smoke; present but unreachable.

“Don’t you need to wrap those crystals?” Startled from her thoughts, she looked down to find Ilya staring up at her with blessedly clear eyes. She searched them for any traces of pain, but found none.

“They can wait a little longer.” Knowing how much she cared about her schedule made him want to get up, but the way she was looking at him…he stayed right where he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this took a while! I had a few personal issues to iron out, and then I ended up rewriting the chapter because I wasn’t content with the way it was, so here’s the final product.

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully this work will go on.
> 
> If you enjoyed it, please leave me a comment and let me know.
> 
> HighlandRose


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